A few years ago, I had gotten my fist yoyo, the Dark Magic 2. I had used it for a half a year, I was not very good but could land a few intermediate tricks. But, sadly I let my younger brother borrow it and he lost it. I am wanting to get back in to yo-yoing and I want to hear input on what yoyo I should get. I would like it to be responsive, maybe metal, and under 45 dollars. I would love to hear your suggestions! Thanks!

I’m sure you can learn the bind quite easily if you’ve gotten some of the string tricks in the Intermediate section down.

If you want a responsive yoyo, the choice shouldn’t matter too much, but you’ll quickly grow out of it when you decide to learn how to bind. I’d personally recommend the Dark Magic again, or another YYJ hybrid.

If you want a metal there are some cheaper options such as the recrev Neuae, but keep in mind that most of them will be unresponsive

A responsive metal…thats a very small market, actually I don’t even think it exists much less a responsive yoyo that costs $45.

I personally would not recommend a light yoyo like the Classic, since your first yoyo was the Dark Magic 2. From experience, light yoyos will definitely make you feel like yoyoing is underwhelming after playing with a heavy yoyo.

Since you’ve already landed some intermediate tricks, I suggest you go straight onto an intermediate yoyo! I would recommend a heavy-ish, stable but low-maintainence yoyo like the YYF Shutter or C3YYD Level 6 . Don’t worry so much about a responsive yoyo, an unresponsive yoyo which has won national yoyo contests will definitely motivate you to learn to bind! It sure did for me back in the days with the Northstar. The only reason I don’t recommend the Northstar or Protostar is because they contain spacers which isn’t newbie friendly, and they can lead to heaps of problems if they screw up.

Otherwise if you want to stay safe with responsive BUT can change easily to unresponsive whenever you feel confident, grab the YYF Velocity. Although it is counted as a light yoyo compared to the Dark Magic, with a turn of the side dial, you can change from responsive to unresponsive play. Best of all, it won’t break your bank because it’s only $15!

I believe that the YYJ Classic with the upgrade kit would be a great place to start. It comes responsive and when you are ready the kit makes it unresponsive. Also it is a small investment so you can save your money for a more informed purchase in the future.